I was upset by snub - Brown

Scotland skipper Kelly Brown says he felt "disappointed and upset" after Scott Johnson cut him from the squad last month.

Scotland skipper Kelly Brown says he felt "disappointed and upset" after Scott Johnson cut him from the squad last month.

After Scotland's heavy 28-6 defeat to Ireland in Dublin in Round One of the Six Nations, Brown was axed from Johnson's matchday 23 for the subsequent fixtures against England and Italy.

Brown's omission angered many Scotland fans, with the Australian head coach still very much under public scrutiny despite the dramatic Round Three victory in Rome.

Brown has been recalled to the starting lineup and reinstated as captain for Saturday's Murrayfield clash with France - on the openside flank rather than the opposite side of the scrum for which he is better suited - but admits the two-match snub was painful.

"I felt the same as any player being dropped," Brown told the BBC.

"I was naturally disappointed but there's no point feeling sorry for yourself.

"I went away and worked on parts of my game and I feel I've improved as a player."

Fellow international Sean Lamont, who has won 85 Scotland caps at wing and centre, felt Brown's jettisoning was proof no player's position is safe.

"Kelly's a great player and it's obviously down to the coaching staff if they think he's right for this game," said Lamont.

"But it's the same for everybody. The good thing about where we are now is that we're now getting a big enough squad to have competition for places.

"Whether you're captain or not, if you're not performing at 100% then you'll be moved about."